$303 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica departing on 8/28. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San José1 stop$579
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$702
San José
San José1 stop$579
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$702

Book Cheap Des Moines to Costa Rica Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Thu, Oct 1 - Tue, Oct 6
American Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 1:57 pm
DSM
-
SJO
8h 27m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:00 pm - 11:07 pm
SJO
-
DSM
9h 07m
1 stop
$579American Airlines
Fri, Sep 11 - Wed, Sep 16
American Airlines Logo
7:05 am - 8:07 pm
DSM
-
SJO
14h 02m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 9:37 pm
SJO
-
DSM
14h 37m
2 stops
$584American Airlines
Sun, Sep 6 - Sun, Sep 13
American Airlines Logo
6:34 am - 1:52 pm
DSM
-
SJO
8h 18m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:00 pm - 11:12 pm
SJO
-
DSM
9h 12m
1 stop
$620American Airlines
Fri, Aug 28 - Fri, Sep 4
Southwest Logo
5:40 am - 6:40 pm
DSM
-
SJO
14h 00m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:00 am - 10:10 pm
SJO
-
DSM
12h 10m
2 stops
$630Southwest
Fri, Aug 28 - Fri, Sep 4
American Airlines Logo
6:22 pm - 1:52 pm
DSM
-
SJO
20h 30m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:29 pm - 5:35 pm
SJO
-
DSM
27h 06m
1 stop
$634American Airlines
Fri, Aug 28 - Fri, Sep 4
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:52 pm
DSM
-
SJO
14h 52m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
1:07 pm - 9:01 am
SJO
-
DSM
18h 54m
1 stop
$639American Airlines
Sat, Sep 5 - Sat, Sep 12
American Airlines Logo
9:32 am - 1:52 pm
DSM
-
SJO
29h 20m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:00 pm - 11:12 pm
SJO
-
DSM
9h 12m
1 stop
$646American Airlines
Fri, Sep 11 - Wed, Sep 16
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 11:54 am
DSM
-
SJO
7h 09m
1 stop
Delta Logo
1:19 pm - 10:26 pm
SJO
-
DSM
8h 07m
1 stop
$648Delta
Sat, Sep 5 - Sat, Sep 12
American Airlines Logo
4:13 pm - 1:52 pm
DSM
-
SJO
22h 39m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
2:57 pm - 9:17 am
SJO
-
DSM
17h 20m
2 stops
$651American Airlines
Fri, Oct 30 - Thu, Nov 5
United Airlines Logo
6:52 pm - 12:10 pm
DSM
-
LIR
18h 18m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
2:20 pm - 10:25 pm
LIR
-
DSM
8h 05m
1 stop
$734United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to Costa Rica flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica is January, when tickets cost $662 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $959 and $861 respectively.

Good to know

Low season

October

Cheapest flight

$303
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 14% increase in price.
Flight from Des Moines to San José

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Des Moines to Costa Rica with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Des Moines to Costa Rica up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from Des Moines to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Des Moines to Costa Rica? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8479 reviews
8.5Crew
7.8Comfort
7.8Entertainment
7.2Food
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

No food or drink, Not much conversation with crew. They didn't come through to check on people. There were no charging stations or wifi to watch movies. It was like being on a bus in the air.

6.0 GoodLisa, Jul 2026
RDU - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

No food or drink, Not much conversation with crew. They didn't come through to check on people. There were no charging stations or wifi to watch movies. It was like being on a bus in the air.

This flight was originally delayed by ~45 minutes; which is fine. However, there were additional delays due to late offboarding of the prior flight, unclear issues with the boarding process, delays on the tarmac, and exceptionally long taxiing. None of these issues were communicated proactively. Additionally, the flight had exceptionally rough turbulence, which led to a very uncomfortable flight and no traditional beverage service. Again, this is understandable, but it was not communicated up-front by the flight team.

My flight was canceled, and instead of rebooking me on a non-stop first-class flight for the same day, which I originally had, Delta rebooked me on a one-stop flight for the following day. When I checked the Delta app, I noticed that there were available flights for both the same day and the next day. I believe this indicates poor management on their part.

The Columbus-based WestJet crews that cover Delta commuter flights between LGA and CMH are excellent - this team included. Our flight today landed 40 minutes early, which is unheard of when flying out of LaGuardia. I've flown with the same crew in more challenging conditions, and they always rise to the occasion with helpful communication to the passengers so that we may manage expectations.

Easy on easy off and the staff onboard were wonderful. Left on time, arrived a bit early.

Weather in Atlanta necessitated an hour's hold on the tarmac before we could leave Detroit. The plane was packed, and I expected some surliness. But no! The crew was fantastic (jovial even!), responsive to people's needs, and kept us informed. Consequently, the passengers took the delay in stride, and what could have been an ugly situation turned out to be no more than a minor inconvenience. The crew were the stars here.

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the poor service and unprofessional staff we encountered when traveling with an infant. Our flight was delayed, and the gate staff failed to manage the boarding process appropriately. Due to incorrect, unavailable, or missing 'pink tag' stroller and car seat check-in procedures at the gate, we were forced to board last. Furthermore, the gate staff was rude and dismissive, causing significant distress to our infant. To make matters worse, one of our checked items—an infant sleeper/lounger—was returned to us broken. Given the unsafe handling of essential equipment and unprofessional treatment, I expect a prompt resolution regarding compensation for the damaged items.

Easiest airport experience ever in my life at MSP with Delta check-in and flight attendant gave us a bottle of champagne in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary, so overall amazing!

Great. Seamless. Check in agent at kiosk international was amazing and extremely helpful.

Delta planes have the WORST seat comfort of any plane in history. It's the opposite of ergonomic, in every sense. They also recline minimally, are covered in a vinyl and have no feet rests. Then the disembarking process is chaotic and time consuming (because of the way they load the plane and deal with luggage). Overall, somewhat frustrating but we arrived safely :)

I would have preferred a flight voucher and to hop on a different flight. Delayed over 6 hours.

Our flight gor canceled and there was no one to help us but told us to scan the qr code and fill the forms on-line. Very poor service especially we are tourists traveling to Washington DC for the 1st time.

1. Everything was satisfactory concerning the flight. 2. Can't think of what could be better right now.

1 flight cancelled Had to fly out of different city Flight at new departure city was delayed 3 hours causing us to miss connecting flights. By the time we did make it to Prague our luggage did not. Had to wait day and a half for luggage to be delivered. Customer service was not good. Agents did not arrive at gate until 5-10 minutes before boarding

It was better than excellent. The staff in Mason City were great. The young woman that pushed my wheelchair did more than could be expected of her. She came from India 17 years ago. I don't remember her name.

My experience on this United Airlines flight was highly uncomfortable, primarily due to two issues: Cabin Temperature: The temperature on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was unacceptably high, feeling consistently around 80 degrees throughout the flight. This made sleeping impossible and significantly detracted from the experience. Seating Arrangement: Being stuck in a middle seat for a six-and-a-half-hour overnight flight compounded the discomfort. Moving forward, I will always purchase a seat assignment to avoid this situation.

Very rough getting into denver. my kid threw up it was so rough.

Liked that we left on time for each flight. Snacks not the best, but we're okay.

I had very little time to change planes originally in Denver after my flight from Omaha. I had an hour and a half layover in Denver originally and my flight leaving Omaha was delayed an hour because they had to change a tire, which I can understand. When I reached Denver my other flight was late, fortunately, but I still had only 10 minutes to run about a mile through the airport to get to my flight. Again, fortunately, I am a healthy 71-year-old and was able to accomplish this feat. However, the stress was more than necessary to bear.

I had requested wheelchair assistance prior to flight. The airport staff had no record of it. It was not provided at Cedar Rapids which was a small airport, so I managed on my own. At O'Hare airport the same thing happened. The staff told me they had no record of my request for a wheel chair. But they finally provided it after a delay when I insisted that I needed it.

Horrific. We were delayed due a flight attendant stuck in traffic en route to the airport. Over 100 people were then stuck in Charolette. Then I ran to make my layover only to find that my connection didn’t have a plane anymore. Waited 2.5 hours without any updates. On the flight we had to beg for even a pretzel option.

Uncomfortable seats, spotty WiFi, only Biscoff for snack (no one likes those).

The plane was experiencing problems with the HVAC system, it was very cold in the front of the plane and very hot in the back.

The boarding process needs to be fixed. The zone don't work, especially when there is hardly anyone in zones 3, 4,and 5, leaving the majority of the passengers backed up in the aisle, especially because passengers seated near the front are blocking passengers who are seated in the rear of the plane. It would also help if the size of carry on bags was more strictly enforced.

In flight connectivity (via T-Mobile) was often not working.

Terrible. Internet/kiosk glitch prevented baggage checkin. Line at ticket co in Ter was under serviced and did not move. Agents did not call for flight but rather allowed time to pass. Then told each person as they reached the front if line that it was too late to check bags so they’d have to rebook flights. At least 15 people missed the flight as a result of this incompetence.

It was exactly what I expected, actually arriving sooner than scheduled.

Terrible, they canceled my flight due to an issue they had, couldn't fly me into the same place within 24 hrs so had to fly in 2.5 hrs away from my destination and spend even more money. The customer service was terrible (except at the airport in Charleston). Had to call to get my checked baggage fees reimbursed 2 wks later in which one customer service agent was very rude, wouldn't listen and then hung up on me. The second lady I spoke with was actually able to help me with that part thankfully. Would not recommend flying AA.

Delayed, missed connecting flight, ground crew double charged for international charges, were super rude and told me to just”deal with it” when I complained. Horrible airline, very frustrating.

A much better flight than our previous. The flight attendant took care of us and regularly checked in to see if we needed anything. Brought us drinks prior to the departure and then a couple more times. Totally makes the difference in how you travel when the crew is checking on their passengers. Great job on this leg of our trip.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Information on your arrival and departure airports